Peppermint Bark
by ToTrulyBe
Summary: "Peppermint bark is most definitely my favorite sweet now."  A mistletoe one-shot.


Scorpius Malfoy made his way down one of the many, drafty corridors of Hogwarts, absentmindedly chewing a piece of peppermint bark. He would never admit it to anybody (besides his best friends, Rose and Al), but the blonde-haired Slytherin probably had one of the biggest sweet-tooths in the history of the school.

Scorpius really wasn't paying attention to where he was going. He could get to the Slytherin common room blindfolded and with his hands tied behind his back, so he used the walk to occupy far more important thoughts.

Thoughts which were interrupted as Scorpius was suddenly pitched forward to the point of nearly falling, but not quite losing balance.

_"Damn... that was close..."_ He thought, straightening his robes and looking around to make sure nobody had seen him lose his composure. When he was sure that the coast was clear, Scorpius made to take another step.

But he found he couldn't.

Looking up, Scorpius found what he had feared most: enchanted mistletoe. The audible kind no less.

"Oi, Blondie! Stuck, huh?"

The Malfoy self-consciously tugged a lock of his blonde hair and glared at the plant.

"Stuck? This is your fault!"

"Why so bitter? Wishing there was a girl around for a quick snog?" The mistletoe teased. Almost as though it could tell that Scorpius was blushing, it continued. "Or perhaps there's a certain girl you wish was here? Hmm, that's it! So who is it? I'm around every year, I know everybody here."

"That's none of your business." He muttered, sitting down now so he could finish the last little bit of his peppermint bark, although he wished he had more.

Rose Weasley skipped down the corridor, heading for the Slytherin common room. She knew every password it had had since her duration at Hogwarts; the inter-house rivalry still existed, but it was more in good fun than having to do with blood or family. Her own house, Ravenclaw, welcomed Scorpius and Al (also a Slytherin) into the common room as though they were members of the same house. Rose had a special reason for going today, however.

_"I can't believe it already came! I was going to give it to him for Christmas, but maybe I can get the really special, gourmet kind from Honeydukes in time for the holidays."_ Rose looked at the cheap tin of peppermint bark from her favorite sweets store in Muggle London. _"Perhaps, if I give him the gourmet kind next week, he'll share a bit with me?"_ She smiled and blushed a bit at the thought.

Rose recalled the way that Scorpius preferred to go and opted to take that route. Most of the other Slytherins liked to go the more direct way, but sometimes her and Scorp would walk together the long way...

She heard a low, male voice, speaking in a sort of frantic whisper. But she recognized it like it was her own. Rose rounded the corner and saw Scorpius leaning against a wall underneath an archways, glaring towards the ceiling and apparently having a conversation with some invisible friend.

"Shut up, I'm not telling you who it is!"

There was a faint mumbling in return, but it was too quiet for Rose to make out from her distant. Curious, Rose moved quietly so as not to disturb her friend's conversation.

"She's in my year, yes. But that's all you get! Besides, she'd never go for me anyways..."

Poor Scorp... he looked so sad. Rose certainly did want to know who it was he fancied, but hearing it would just make her own feelings worse. Then again, maybe it would be the motivation for her to finally get over him.

"I'm sure that's not true, Scor."

Scorpius snapped his head down from where it had previously been focused upwards and stared frantically at the red-head across from him. How he had missed her walking up was beyond him, but now...

"Rose! What the bloody hell are you doing here!"

"I had a surprise for you and I to share! I know Al doesn't-"

Scorpius cut Rose off quickly. "I don't mean to interrupt, but could you please try walking away really quick?"

"Eh? Sure, if you want?" She looked at him inquisitively and took a step the opposite direction, only to find that she couldn't move beyond a half meter away from where she currently was.

"I can't... Scorpius, what in Merlin's name did you do?" Rose was getting mad, and fast.

He silently pointed upwards, sliding to a sitting position once more and burying his face in his hands.

"An enchanted mistletoe?" She asked, bringing a hand gently to her lips.

"Ah!" It cried mischievously. "Could this be the girl we were talking about, hmm, ickle Scorpy?" The mistletoe taunted.

"Shut up!" He screamed at it. Rose was taken aback- Scorpius very rarely got mad to the point of yelling.

"Scor, calm down." Rose sat next to him and comfortingly placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure whoever it is you like can grow to like you, if she doesn't already."

Scorpius laughed. "You can't be sure of that Rose. I already know it won't happen."

Rather than try to make him feel better, Rose reached for the tin of peppermint bark and placed it on her lap, popping the top off and letting it clatter to the cold floor.

"Here." She extended a piece of it to him, which he took gratefully and with a smile.

"Aww, isn't that adorable. Don't you know it's the guy who's supposed to give the sweets, Scorpy?" The plant called down at them.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Scor,_ relax._"

He sighed and took another bite of the peppermint bark.

"So what do you propose we do?"

Rose looked about and then back at Scorpius. "Well, we could sit here and eat peppermint bark until the girl you fancy comes by, or we could..." She blushed a deep red and averted her eyes away once more.

"Well, say the girl I liked did come by. What about you?"

Rose's heart sank. So there was no hope that it was her...

"I guess I could sit here forever."

Scorpius shook his head. "Rose, you're beautiful. Surely there's somebody you like?"

"Sure, but he'd never go for me." She finished off her sweet and reached for another piece.

"Well, who is it?" Scorpius asked, putting down his own bit of bark.

Rose sat thoughtfully, swallowing the bit she had in her mouth and deliberating internally.

"You'll think I've gone mad..."

"That's fine. I just need to know. We're best friends, right?" Scorpius pleaded desperately. He had to know who it was she fancied... if it wasn't him, he needed to know who to kill.

Before he had a grip on what was happening, Rose was kissing him._ Kissing him_. He could taste the peppermint and chocolate on her lips, combined with something that could only be Rose. Just as he was thinking that he could kiss back, she pulled away.

"Rose..."

She shook her head vehemently, standing and running off, leaving behind the half eaten tin of peppermint bark.

A few days later, on Christmas Eve, Rose was lying on an armchair in her common room, being one of the only Ravenclaws who had stayed for the holidays. Most of the Weasley-Potter clan had left, save Albus, who was sitting nearby.

"So I heard what happened with you and Scor."

"I don't want to talk about it."

The door at the opposite end of the common room flew open. It was Scor, holding two wrapped boxes.

"Hey. I know it's Christmas Eve, but I want you to open your gift now, Rose."

"I don't want to talk, Scorpius."

"Just open it."

She took the box gingerly in her hands and unwrapped the silvery paper that surrounded it. Inside was the tin of peppermint bark they had been sharing.

"How nice... A half eaten tin of peppermint bark?" Rose said, shaking her head. "Listen, you can just forget that it-"

Scorpius dipped down and kissed her square on the lips, not caring that Albus was right there (he had known for a while, anyways.) "Open it."

Rose curiously pulled the lid off and found, not only the remainder of the peppermint bark, but a note.

_"It's always been you, Rose. Always will be."_

Rose smiled down at the bit of parchment and then back at Scorpius before pulling him into their first real kiss- one that was reciprocated by both of them at once.

"Oi, at least wait until I'm out of the room, will you?" Albus sighed, storming out.

Scorpius stared after him. "Do you suppose we oughta go after him?"

Rose laughed, a laugh like jingle bells. "No, he can live with it." She looked down into her lap and picked up a bit of the candy, breaking a small piece of and gently placing it on her tongue.

"Peppermint bark is most definitely my favorite sweet now."

**Just a short attempt at a Christmas one-shot. Peppermint Bark is one of my favorite holiday things! Please review, and check out my stories "Rose's Week Of Woes" and "Riddle Me This." Thanks, and don't forget to review!**

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